Wireless communication systems with femto cells

ABSTRACT

Systems and methods of uniquely identifying communication nodes in a wireless communication system are described herein. One embodiment of the disclosure provides a wireless apparatus comprising a transceiver configured to receive a first identifier during at least one time slot. The first identifier identifies a first communication node. The apparatus further comprises a processing circuit configured to determine if the first identifier is received during a first time slot that is different from at least one pre-assigned time slot.

CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION(S)

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.61/081,006, filed Jul. 15, 2008, the entire content of which isincorporated herein by reference.

BACKGROUND

1. Field of the Invention

The present application relates generally to wireless communications,and more specifically to systems and methods to configure femto nodes.

2. Relevant Background

Wireless communication systems are widely deployed to provide varioustypes of communication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.) tomultiple users. As the demand for high-rate and multimedia data servicesrapidly grows, there lies a challenge to implement efficient and robustcommunication systems with enhanced performance.

In addition to mobile phone networks currently in place, a new class ofsmall base stations has emerged, which may be installed in a user's homeand provide indoor wireless coverage to mobile units using existingbroadband Internet connections. Such personal miniature base stationsare generally known as access point base stations, or, alternatively,Home Node B (HNB) or femto nodes. Typically, such miniature basestations are connected to the Internet and the mobile operator's networkvia a DSL router or a cable modem. These femto nodes, however, mayinterfere with each other. Adjusting the method in which femto nodescommunicate to minimize interference may be desirable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The systems, methods, and devices of the invention each have severalaspects, no single one of which is solely responsible for its desirableattributes. Without limiting the scope of this invention as expressed bythe claims which follow, some features will now be discussed briefly.After considering this discussion, and particularly after reading thesection entitled “Description of the Preferred Embodiments” one willunderstand how the features of this invention provide advantages thatinclude concurrent communication over multiple air interfaces.

One embodiment of the disclosure provides a wireless apparatuscomprising a transceiver configured to receive a first identifier duringat least one time slot. The first identifier identifies a firstcommunication node. The apparatus further comprises a processing circuitconfigured to determine if the first identifier is received during afirst time slot that is different from at least one pre-assigned timeslot.

A further embodiment of the disclosure provides a method of uniquelyidentifying a first communication node and a second communication nodein a wireless communication system. The method comprises receiving afirst identifier during at least one time slot. The first identifieridentifies the first communication node. The method further comprisesdetermining if the first identifier is received during a first time slotthat is different from at least one pre-assigned time slot.

Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a wireless apparatuscomprising means for receiving a first identifier during at least onetime slot. The first identifier identifies the first communication node.The apparatus further comprises means for determining if the firstidentifier is received during a first time slot that is different fromat least one pre-assigned time slot.

Yet another embodiment of this disclosure provides a computer programproduct, comprising computer-readable medium. The computer-readablemedium comprises code for causing a computer to receive a firstidentifier during at least one time slot. The first identifieridentifies the first communication node. The computer-readable mediumfurther comprises code for causing a computer to determine if the firstidentifier is received during a first time slot that is different fromat least one pre-assigned time slot.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network.

FIG. 2 illustrates the exemplary interoperations of two or morecommunication networks.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary femto node shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary access terminalshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary packet data gatewayshown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary configurationserver shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary macro node shown inFIG. 2.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of detecting a PNcollision between femto nodes similar to the femto node shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another exemplary process of detecting a PNcollision between femto nodes similar to the femto node shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 10 illustrates exemplary coverage areas for wireless communicationnetworks as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary node andanother exemplary access terminal shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of yet another exemplary femtonode shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of yet another exemplary accessterminal shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary configurationserver shown in FIG. 2.

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The word “exemplary” is used herein to mean “serving as an example,instance, or illustration.” Any embodiment described herein as“exemplary” is not necessarily to be construed as preferred oradvantageous over other embodiments. The techniques described herein maybe used for various wireless communication networks such as CodeDivision Multiple Access (CDMA) networks, Time Division Multiple Access(TDMA) networks, Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA) networks,Orthogonal FDMA (OFDMA) networks, Single-Carrier FDMA (SC-FDMA)networks, etc. The terms “networks” and “systems” are often usedinterchangeably. A CDMA network may implement a radio technology such asUniversal Terrestrial Radio Access (UTRA), cdma2000, etc. UTRA includesWideband-CDMA (W-CDMA) and Low Chip Rate (LCR). cdma2000 covers IS-2000,IS-95 and IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement a radiotechnology such as Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM). AnOFDMA network may implement a radio technology such as Evolved UTRA(E-UTRA), IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.16, IEEE 802.20, Flash-OFDMA, etc. UTRA,E-UTRA, and GSM are part of Universal Mobile Telecommunication System(UMTS). Long Term Evolution (LTE) is an upcoming release of UMTS thatuses E-UTRA. UTRA, E-UTRA, GSM, UMTS and LTE are described in documentsfrom an organization named “3rd Generation Partnership Project” (3GPP).cdma2000 is described in documents from an organization named “3rdGeneration Partnership Project 2” (3GPP2). These various radiotechnologies and standards are known in the art.

Single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA), whichutilizes single carrier modulation and frequency domain equalization isa technique. SC-FDMA has similar performance and essentially the sameoverall complexity as those of OFDMA system. SC-FDMA signal has lowerpeak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) because of its inherent singlecarrier structure. SC-FDMA has drawn great attention, especially in theuplink communications where lower PAPR greatly benefits the mobileterminal in terms of transmit power efficiency. It is currently aworking assumption for uplink multiple access scheme in 3GPP Long TermEvolution (LTE), or Evolved UTRA.

In some aspects the teachings herein may be employed in a network thatincludes macro scale coverage (e.g., a large area cellular network suchas a 3G networks, typically referred to as a macro cell network) andsmaller scale coverage (e.g., a residence-based or building-basednetwork environment). As an access terminal (“AT”) moves through such anetwork, the access terminal may be served in certain locations byaccess nodes (“ANs”) that provide macro coverage while the accessterminal may be served at other locations by access nodes that providesmaller scale coverage. In some aspects, the smaller coverage nodes maybe used to provide incremental capacity growth, in-building coverage,and different services (e.g., for a more robust user experience). In thediscussion herein, a node that provides coverage over a relatively largearea may be referred to as a macro node. A node that provides coverageover a relatively small area (e.g., a residence) may be referred to as afemto node. A node that provides coverage over an area that is smallerthan a macro area and larger than a femto area may be referred to as apico node (e.g., providing coverage within a commercial building).

A cell associated with a macro node, a femto node, or a pico node may bereferred to as a macro cell, a femto cell, or a pico cell, respectively.In some implementations, each cell may be further associated with (e.g.,divided into) one or more sectors.

In various applications, other terminology may be used to reference amacro node, a femto node, or a pico node. For example, a macro node maybe configured or referred to as an access node, base station, accesspoint, eNodeB, macro cell, and so on. Also, a femto node may beconfigured or referred to as a Home NodeB, Home eNodeB, access pointbase station, femto cell, and so on.

FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless communication network 100. Thewireless communication network 100 is configured to supportcommunication between a number of users. The wireless communicationnetwork 100 may be divided into one or more cells 102, such as, forexample, cells 102 a-102 g. Communication coverage in cells 102 a-102 gmay be provided by one or more nodes 104, such as, for example, nodes104 a-104 g. Each node 104 may provide communication coverage to acorresponding cell 102. The nodes 104 may interact with a plurality ofaccess terminals (ATs), such as, for example, ATs 106 a-106 l.

Each AT 106 may communicate with one or more nodes 104 on a forward link(FL) and/or a reverse link (RL) at a given moment. A FL is acommunication link from a node to an AT. A RL is a communication linkfrom an AT to a node. The nodes 104 may be interconnected, for example,by appropriate wired or wireless interfaces and may be able tocommunicate with each other. Accordingly, each AT 106 may communicatewith another AT 106 through one or more nodes 104. For example, the AT106 j may communicate with the AT 106 h as follows. The AT 106 j maycommunicate with the node 104 d. The node 104 d may then communicatewith the node 104 b. The node 104 b may then communicate with the AT 106h. Accordingly, a communication is established between the AT 106 j andthe AT 106 h.

The wireless communication network 100 may provide service over a largegeographic region. For example, the cells 102 a-102 g may cover only afew blocks within a neighborhood or several square miles in a ruralenvironment. In one embodiment, each cell may be further divided intoone or more sectors (not shown).

As described above, a node 104 may provide an access terminal (AT) 106access within its coverage area to a communications network, such as,for example the internet or a cellular network.

An AT 106 may be a wireless communication device (e.g., a mobile phone,router, personal computer, server, etc.) used by a user to send andreceive voice or data over a communications network. An access terminal(AT) may also be referred to herein as a user equipment (UE), as amobile station (MS), or as a terminal device. As shown, ATs 106 a, 106h, and 106 j comprise routers. ATs 106 b-106 g, 106 i, 106 k, and 106 lcomprise mobile phones. However, each of ATs 106 a-106 l may compriseany suitable communication device.

FIG. 2 illustrates exemplary interoperations of two or morecommunication networks. It may desirable for an AT 220 to transmitinformation to and receive information from another AT such as AT 221.FIG. 2 illustrates a manner in which the AT 220 may communicate with theAT 221. As shown in FIG. 2, the macro node 205 may provide communicationcoverage to access terminals within a macro area 207. For example, theAT 220 may generate and transmit a message to the macro node 205. Themessage may comprise information related to various types ofcommunication (e.g., voice, data, multimedia services, etc.). The AT 220may communicate with the macro node 205 via a wireless link.

The macro node 205 may also communicate with a packet data gateway (PDG)(e.g. a mobile switching center and/or a macro femto internetworkingfunction), such as the PDG 252 operating in the communication network250. For example, the macro node 205 may transmit the message receivedfrom the AT 220 to the PDG 252. Generally, the PDG 252 may facilitatecommunication between the AT 220 and the AT 221 by first receiving themessage received from the AT 220 via the macro node 205. The PDG 252 maythen transmit the message to the Internet 240 (and/or anotherappropriate wide area network), for eventual transmission to the AT 221via a femto node. The macro node 205 and the PDG 252 may communicate viaa wired link. For example, a direct wired link may comprise a fiberoptic or Ethernet link. The macro node 205 and the PDG 252 may beco-located or deployed in different locations.

Generally, the Internet 240 may facilitate communication between the AT220 and the AT 221 by first receiving the message from the AT 220 viathe macro node 205 and the PDG 252. The Internet 240 may then transmitthe message to a femto node, such as the femto node 210 b fortransmission to the AT 221. The PDG 252 may communicate with theInternet 240 via a wired or wireless link as described above.

The Internet 240 may also communicate with femto nodes, such as thefemto nodes 210 a, 210 b. The femto node 210 b may facilitatecommunication between the AT 220 and the AT 221 by providingcommunication coverage for the AT 221 within a femto area 230 b. Forexample, the femto node 210 b may receive the message originating at theAT 220 via the macro node 205, the PDG 252, and the Internet 240. Thefemto node 210 b may then transmit the message to the AT 221 in thefemto area 230 b. The femto node 210 b may communicate with the AT 221via a wireless link.

As described above, the macro node 205, the PDG 252, the Internet 240,and the femto node 210 b may interoperate to form a communication linkbetween the AT 220 and the AT 221. For example, the AT 220 may transmitgenerate and transmit the message to the macro node 205. The macro node205 may then transmit the message to the PDG 252. The PDG 252 may thentransmit the message to the Internet 240. The Internet 240 may thentransmit the message to the femto node 210 b. The femto node 210 b maythen transmit the message to the AT 221. Similarly, the reverse path maybe followed from the AT 221 to the AT 220.

The femto node 210 a and/or the femto node 210 b may also communicatewith a configuration server (CS), such as the CS 254 operating in thecommunication network 250 via the Internet 240. The CS 254 maycommunicate with the Internet 240 via a wired or wireless link. Thefemto nodes 210 a, 210 b may communicate with the Internet 240 via awired or wireless link as described above. The CS 254 may be configuredto configure attributes (e.g., a pseudo noise (PN) offset) of the femtonodes 210 a and/or 210 b. In one embodiment, the femto nodes 210 a, 210b may be deployed by individual consumers and placed in homes, apartmentbuildings, office buildings, and the like. The femto nodes 210 a, 210 bmay communicate with the ATs in a predetermined range (e.g., 100 m) ofthe femto nodes 210 a, 210 b utilizing a predetermined cellulartransmission band. In one embodiment, the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b maycommunicate with the Internet 240 by way of an Internet Protocol (IP)connection, such as a digital subscriber line (DSL, e.g., includingasymmetric DSL (ADSL), high data rate DSL (HDSL), very high speed DSL(VDSL), etc.), a TV cable carrying Internet Protocol (IP) traffic, abroadband over power line (BPL) connection, or other link. In anotherembodiment, the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b may communicate with the PDG252 via a direct link.

Although the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b are each configured to communicatewith multiple ATs (e.g., ATs 220, 221), a consumer may desire only hisor her own traffic to be carried by a private IP connection connected tothe femto node 210 a and/or the femto node 210 b. For example, theconsumer may wish to preserve IP bandwidth for their own use, ratherthan for use by alien ATs. Therefore, the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b maybe configured to allow communication only with a single AT or group ofATs. The choice of which ATs to allow communication with may bedetermined by the user. Traffic from the allowed ATs to the femto nodes210 a, 210 b is then routed over the consumer's IP connection, whereastraffic from other ATs is blocked. Consequently, although the femtonodes 210 a, 210 b are configured to communicate with any compatible AT,the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b may be programmed to ignore ATs that arenot associated with a particular consumer, service plan, or the like.

Further, in one embodiment, the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b each maytransmit information using an identifier. Accordingly, the AT 220 candistinguish between transmissions sent from multiple femto nodes byusing the identifier of each transmission. In one embodiment, theidentifier comprises an offset pseudo noise (PN) short code. The offsetPN short code may comprise a code or sequence of numbers that identifiesthe node and/or the node type (e.g., femto node, macro node, pico node).The offset PN short code may comprise a PN short code with a PN offsetapplied. The PN offset may indicate the delay from the true networksynchronization time applied to a PN short code. In one embodiment, allof the nodes may use the same PN short code. However, a different PNoffset may be applied to the PN short code for different nodes. Thus,the PN offset directly correlates to the offset PN short code and theterms “PN offset” and “offset PN short code” may be used interchangeablyherein.

In one embodiment, the PN offset may be used to identify the type ofnode (e.g., femto node, macro node, pico node) transmitting signals. Forexample, a particular set of PN offsets may be reserved for identifyingfemto nodes. However, the number of PN offsets available for use may besmaller than the number of femto nodes within a geographic area. Thusthe PN offset alone may not be sufficient to uniquely identify a femtonode. For example, 512 unique PN offsets may be set aside for use byfemto nodes. However, there may be more than 512 femto nodes deployedwithin the macro area 207. As a result, multiple femto nodes within themacro area 207 may use the same PN offset. For example, the femto node210 a may use the same PN offset as the femto node 210 b. Thus, the AT220 may not be able to distinguish the femto node 210 a from the femtonode 210 b. For example, as shown in FIG. 2, the femto area 230 a andthe femto area 230 b overlap forming an area of overlap 260. The femtonodes 210 a, 210 b may use the same PN offset for identification.Accordingly, the AT 220 within the area of overlap may receiveinformation from each of the femto nodes 210 a, 210 b using the same PNoffset. The AT 220, therefore, may not be able to determine the senderof information when receiving information from each of the femto nodes210 a, 210 b. The use of the same PN offset by multiple nodes in thesame geographic area may be referred to as a PN collision. It may bedesirable to avoid such PN collisions. Avoiding such PN collisionsthrough network planning, however, may be difficult in systems wherenodes are deployed unplanned. Accordingly, embodiments described hereinmay resolve PN collisions. It should be noted that similar collisionsmay be detected and resolved according to the embodiments describedherein. For example collisions between primary scrambling codes may bedetected and resolved for UMTS networks and collisions between physicalcell identifiers may be detected and resolved for LTE networks, etc.

In one embodiment, a PN collision is resolved as follows. In thisembodiment the femto node 210 a can detect the transmissions of thefemto node 210 b and vice versa. Accordingly, the femto node 210 aand/or the femto node 210 b can detect the PN offset used by the otherfemto node. Therefore, the femto node 210 a and/or the femto node 210 bmay learn that a PN collision has occurred when the femto node 210 a andthe femto node 210 b are using the same PN offset. In one embodiment,the femto node 210 a detects the PN offset of the femto node 210 b andselects a new PN offset to use that is different than the PN offset usedby the femto node 210 b and or other femto nodes in the same geographicarea. The femto node 210 a then uses the new PN offset fortransmissions. Thus, the PN collision is resolved.

In another embodiment, the femto node 210 a cannot detect thetransmissions of the femto node 210 b and vice versa. For example, thefemto node 210 a may not be within the femto area 230 b. Further, thefemto node 210 b may not be within the femto area 230 a. Accordingly,the femto nodes 210 a and 210 b may not “hear” (i.e., detect) signalstransmitted by each other. Therefore, the femto node 210 a cannot detectthe PN offset from the regular transmissions of the femto node 210 b,and vice versa. Thus, neither the femto node 210 a nor the femto node210 can detect a PN offset collision between the femto node 210 a andthe femto node 210 b.

In one embodiment, the femto nodes 210 may each be configured totransmit their respective PN offset in a highly detectable pilot signal(HDP). One of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that othersignals besides the HDP may be used with the embodiments describedherein. The HDPs may comprise the PN offsets of the femto nodes 210. Thedistance or “range” that the HDP is detectable may be greater than thedistance other signals transmitted by the femto nodes 210 aredetectable. Therefore, though each of the femto nodes 210 may not detectother signals transmitted by each other, each of the femto nodes 210 maydetect the HDP of the other femto node. Accordingly, the femto node 210a and/or the femto node 210 b can determine the PN offset of the otherfemto node from the HDP of the other node and resolve the PN collisionas described above. For example, though the femto node 210 b is notwithin the femto area 230 a, it may be within an area 232 a. The area232 a represents the area where the HDP of the femto node 210 a isdetectable.

The increased range of detection of the HDP may occur due to reducedinterference levels when transmitting the HDP. For example, each femtonode 210 a, 210 b may be configured to transmit the HDP at one or morepre-assigned time slots in a recurring sequence of time slots used forHDPs. The recurring time slots may occur periodically along with othertime slots not used for HDPs. The duration of the HDP time slots may beshort (e.g., 0.33 ms). For example, a recurring sequence of time slots1-20 may occur periodically. Further, time slots 1-6 may be used forHDPs. Femto node 210 a may be pre-assigned time slots 1, 2, and 5 totransmit an HDP. Femto node 210 b may be pre-assigned time slots 2, 3,and 6 to transmit an HDP. Accordingly, the femto node 210 a does nottransmit an HDP during the time slots 3, 4, and 6. Further, the femtonode 210 b does not transmit an HDP during the time slots 1, 4, and 5.Accordingly, fewer signals may be transmitted during HDP time slots, asnot all femto nodes transmit during each HDP time slot. The fewertransmitted signals leads to less interference, which leads to anincreased detection range of the HDP.

In one embodiment, the time slots are assigned by a configuration server(CS) 254. In another embodiment, the femto nodes 210 use a random reusepattern. In this embodiment, some femto nodes may use the same timeslots to transmit the HDP. However, the number of femto nodestransmitting the HDP during a given time slot is much less than thenumber of femto nodes transmitting during time slots not reserved fortransmitting the HDP.

In another embodiment, a wall 265 may block a direct line-of-sightbetween the femto nodes 210 a and 210 b. Accordingly, the femto node 210a cannot detect the normal transmissions of the femto node 210 b or theHDP of the femto node 210 b, and vice versa. Accordingly, a PN collisionbetween the femto nodes 210 a and 210 b may not be directly detectableby either of the femto nodes 210. However, a device (e.g., AT 220) thatis within range of the HDP of the femto nodes 210 may hear the HDP ofboth the femto node 210 a and the femto node 210 b. For example, asdiscussed above, the HDP of the femto node 210 a is transmitted during adifferent set of time slots than the HDP of the femto node 210 b istransmitted. The AT 220 may “hear” (i.e., detect) an HDP with the samePN offset as the femto node 210 a at a time slot that is different fromthe set of time slots assigned to the femto node 210 a. Therefore, theAT 220 can determine that a PN collision has occurred.

In one embodiment, the AT 220 may be communicating with the femto node210 a over a communication channel (e.g., a control channel). The AT 220may receive the PN offset of the femto node 210 a from the femto node210 a. Further, the AT 220 may receive the set of time slots assigned tothe femto node 210 a for HDPs from the femto node 210 a. The AT 220 mayfurther be configured to listen (i.e., monitor) for additional HDPs. TheAT 220 may receive a first HDP at a first time slot from the femto node210 b. The AT 220 then determines if the PN offset of the first HDP isthe same as the PN offset of the femto node 210 a. If the PN offset ofthe first HDP is the same as the PN offset of the femto node 210 a, theAT 220 further determines if the first time slot is different from theset of time slots assigned to the femto node 210 a. If the first timeslot is different from the set of time slots assigned to the femto node210 a, the AT 220 determines that a PN collision has occurred betweenthe femto node 210 a and the femto node 210 b. The AT 220 may thenreport the PN collision to the femto node 210 a over the communicationchannel that the AT 220 communicates with the femto node 210 a. Thefemto node 210 a may then resolve the PN collision by selecting a new PNoffset to communicate that is different than the PN offset used by otherfemto nodes in the same geographic area.

In one embodiment, the femto node 210 a may be configured to select anew PN offset by querying a server (e.g., CS 254) for a new PN offset.For example, the femto node 210 a may send a message requesting a new PNoffset to the Internet 240. The message may comprise a unique identifier(e.g., Access Point ID, Sector ID, Basestation ID, Femto EquipmentIdentifier, IP address, MAC address, etc.) of the femto node 210 a. TheInternet 240 transmits the message to the CS 254. The CS 254 maycomprise a database listing the PN offsets used by the femto nodesconnected to the CS 254. The CS 254 may select a new PN offset for thefemto node 210 a that is different than the PN offsets used by the otherfemto nodes connected to the CS 254. The CS 254 may then update thedatabase with the new PN offset of the femto node 210 a. The CS 254 maytransmit a message indicative of the new PN offset to the Internet 240.The Internet 240 transmits the message to the femto node 210 a. Thefemto node 210 a may then use the new PN offset for communication.

In another embodiment, the AT 220 may receive a unique identifier of thefemto node 210 a from the femto node 210 a while communicating with thefemto node 210 a over the communication channel. The AT 220 may furtherbe communicating with another node (e.g., macro node 205) and may reportthe PN collision to the macro node 205. In another embodiment, the AT220 may store information indicative of the unique identifier of thefemto node 210 a and the PN collision. The AT 220 may report the PNcollision to another node (e.g., macro node 205) at a later time that itis in data communication with the other node. For example, the AT 220may generate a message indicative of the PN collision and the uniqueidentifier of the femto node 210 a to the macro node 205. The macro node205 may transmit the message to the PDG 252. The PDG 252 may furthertransmit the message to a server (e.g., the CS 254) via the Internet240. The CS 254 may comprise a database listing the PN offsets used bythe femto nodes connected to the CS 254. The CS 254 may select a new PNoffset for the femto node 210 a that is different than the PN offsetsused by the other femto nodes connected to the CS 254. The CS 254 maythen update the database with the new PN offset of the femto node 210 a.The CS 254 may transmit a message indicative of the new PN offset to theInternet 240. The Internet 240 transmits the message to the femto node210 a. The femto node 210 a may then use the new PN offset forcommunication.

FIG. 3 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary femto node 210shown in FIG. 2. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, the femtonode 210 may provide the AT 220 communication access to thecommunication network 250 via the Internet 240. The AT 220 may transmitinformation to an antenna 350 of the femto node 210. The antenna 350 maybe configured to receive the information transmitted from the AT 220.The antenna 350 may further be coupled to a transceiver 340. Thetransceiver 340 may be configured to demodulate the information receivedfrom the AT 220. Similarly, the femto node 210 may receive informationtransmitted from another femto node. The transceiver 340 may further becoupled to a communication controller 330 configured to control thedemodulation of information by the transceiver 340. Both the transceiver340 and the communication controller 330 may further be coupled to aprocessor 305. The processor 305 may further process the demodulatedinformation for storage, transmission, and/or for the control of othercomponents of the femto node 210. The processor 305 may further becoupled, via one or more buses, to read information from or writeinformation (e.g., the processed information) to a memory 310. Theprocessor 305 may also be coupled to a network interface controller 355configured to communicate with the Internet 240. Accordingly, processedinformation may be sent from processor 305 to another node via thenetwork interface controller 355 and the Internet 240.

The processor 305 may also be coupled to a pilot generator 320configured to generate an HDP for transmission to the AT 220 asdiscussed above with reference to FIG. 2. As discussed above, the HDPmay comprise the PN offset used by the femto node 210 for communication.The pilot generator 320 may generate an HDP and send the HDP to theprocessor 305. The processor 305 may then send the HDP to thecommunication controller 330 and the transceiver 340. The communicationcontroller 330 and the transceiver 340 may prepare the HDP for wirelesstransmission via the antenna 350. In one embodiment, the HDP may begenerated and/or transmitted during one or more pre-assigned time slotsperiodically and received by another femto node or an AT, such as, forexample, the AT 220.

The processor 305 may also be coupled to a collision detector 325. Thecollision detector 325 may be configured to determine whether an HDPcomprising the same identifier (e.g., PN offset) as used by the femtonode 210 is detected as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2. Forexample, an HDP may be received at the femto node 210 via the antenna350 from another femto node. The HDP may be demodulated by thetransceiver 340. The communication controller 330 may control thedemodulation of the HDP by the transceiver 340. The HDP may then be sentto the processor 305, which may process the HDP. The processor 305forwards the HDP to the collision detector 325. In one embodiment, thecollision detector 325 may determine whether the PN offset of thereceived HDP is the same as the PN offset used by the femto node 210.The collision detector 325 may then signal to the processor 305 that aPN collision has been detected as described with respect to FIG. 2.

The processor 305 may further be coupled to an identifier selector 327.The identifier selector 327 may be configured to select a new identifier(e.g., PN offset) for use by the femto node 210. In one embodiment, thepilot detector 325 signals to the processor 305 that a PN collision hasbeen detected. The processor 305 then signals the identifier selector327 to select a new PN offset. In another embodiment, the femto node 210receives a message indicative of a PN collision via the antenna 350 fromanother device such as the AT 220 as discussed above with respect toFIG. 2. The message may be demodulated by the transceiver 340. Thecommunication controller 330 may control the demodulation of the messageby the transceiver 340. The message may then be sent to the processor305, which may process the message. The processor 305 then signals theidentifier selector 327 to select a new PN offset.

In one embodiment, the identifier selector 327 selects a new PN offsetat random from a set of PN offsets reserved for femto nodes as discussedabove with respect to FIG. 2. In another embodiment, the identifierselector receives a new PN offset from a server accessible via theInternet 240 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2. For example, theidentifier selector 327 may generate a request for a new PN offset andsend the request to the processor 305. The request may comprise a uniqueidentifier (e.g., address) of the femto node 210. The processor 305 mayprocess the request and send the processed request to the networkinterface controller 355. The network interface controller 355 maymodulate the request for transmission over the Internet 240 and transmitthe request to the Internet 240. The Internet 240 may send the requestto a server (e.g., CS 254) that is connected to the Internet 240.

In one embodiment, the identifier selector may receive a new PN offsetfrom a server for the femto node 210 to use. For example, the femto node210 may receive a message comprising the new PN offset via the networkinterface controller 355. The message may be sent to the networkinterface controller 355 from a server via the Internet 240. The networkinterface 355 may demodulate the response message and send the messageto the processor 305. The processor 305 may then forward the message tothe identifier selector 327. The identifier selector 327 may then selectthe PN offset indicated in the message as the new PN offset. Theprocessor 305 may further be configured to send a unique identifier ofthe femto node 210 to the AT 220. For example, the femto node 210 mayreceive a request for a unique identifier at the antenna 350. Thecommunication controller 330 and the transceiver 340 may demodulate therequest and send the request to the processor 305. The processor 305 mayretrieve the unique identifier from the memory 310 where it is stored.The processor 305 may generate a message indicative of the uniqueidentifier and send it to the transceiver 340. The communicationcontroller 330 may control the modulation of the message by thetransceiver 340. The transceiver 340 may send the message to the AT 220via the antenna 350 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

The antenna 350 may be configured to send and/or receive information toand/or from the AT 220 and/or other femto nodes over one or morefrequency channels. The information may comprise voice and/or data-onlyinformation (referred to herein as “information”). The antenna maycomprise one or more physical and/or virtual antennas.

The communication controller 330 and the transceiver 340 may beconfigured to demodulate the information received via the antenna 350according to one or more radio standards using methods known in the art.Further, the communication controller 330 and the transceiver 340 maymodulate information to be sent from the femto node 210 via the antenna350 according to one or more radio standards using methods known in theart. Information to be sent may be received from the processor 305.

The processor 305 may read and write portions of the information and/orpackets (e.g., voice information, data information, pilot signals, PNoffset, a unique identifier, etc.) destined for the AT 220 and/or otherATs and/or other femto nodes to and from the memory 310.

The femto node 210 may connect to a communication network, such as, forexample, the Internet 240 via the network interface controller 355.Accordingly, femto node 210 may communicate through the Internet 240with other nodes coupled to the communication network 250 and/or the PDG252 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the femto node 210 need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the processor 305 and the memory 310may be embodied in a single chip. The processor 305 may additionally, orin the alternative, contain memory, such as processor registers.Similarly, two or more of the processor 305, the pilot generator 320,the communication controller 330, the transceiver 340, the collisiondetector 325, and the identifier selector 327 may be embodied in asingle chip. Further, the transceiver 340 may comprise a transmitter,receiver, or both. In other embodiments, the transmitter and receiverare two separate components.

The memory 310 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 310 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, and Zip drives.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the femto node 210 maybe embodied as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anysuitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or morecombinations of the functional blocks described with respect to thefemto node 210 may also be implemented as a combination of computingdevices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a pluralityof microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with aDSP communication, or any other such configuration.

FIG. 4 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary access terminal 220shown in FIG. 2. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, the AT 220may be used to access the communication network 250. The AT 220 mayaccess the communication network 250 via the femto node 210 and/or themacro node 205. The AT 220 may transmit and/or receive information toother ATs via the femto node 210 and/or the macro node 205 and thecommunication network 250.

The AT 220 may comprise a processor 405 configured to processinformation for storage, transmission, and/or for the control of othercomponents of the AT 220. The processor 405 may further be coupled, viaone or more buses, to read information from or write information (e.g.,the processed information) to a memory 410. For example, the AT 220 mayprocess information to be transmitted via the communication network 250.The processor 405 may also be coupled to a transceiver 440 configured tomodulate the information to be transmitted. The transceiver 440 mayfurther be coupled to a communication controller 430 configured tocontrol the modulation of information by the transceiver 440. Thetransceiver may be further coupled to an antenna 450 configured totransmit the information from the AT 220 to the femto node 210 and/orthe macro node 205. Accordingly, information may be generated and sentfrom the AT 220 to the femto node 210 and/or the macro node 205.Similarly, AT 220 may also receive information from the femto node 210and/or the macro node 205. For example, the AT 220 may receiveinformation indicative of the PN offset of the femto node 210 and/or thetime slots assigned to the femto node 210 for HDPs from the femto node210 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

The processor 405 may also be coupled to a pilot detector 420. The pilotdetector 420 may be configured to determine whether one or more HDPs,are detected at one or more time slots that are different from the timeslots assigned to another femto node for HDPs as discussed above withrespect to FIG. 2. For example, a first HDP may be received at the AT220 during a first time slot via the antenna 450. The first HDP may bedemodulated by the transceiver 440. The communication controller 430 maycontrol the demodulation of the first HDP by the transceiver 440. TheHDP may then be sent to the processor 405, which may process the HDP.The processor 405 forwards the HDP to the pilot detector 420. In someembodiments, the pilot detector 420 may determine whether the PN offsetof the first HDP is the same as a PN offset received from the femto node210. The pilot detector 420 may also determine whether first time slotis different from the time slots assigned to the femto node 210 forHDPs. The pilot detector 420 may then signal to the processor 405 that aPN collision has been detected as described with respect to FIG. 2.

The processor 405 may further be coupled to a message generator 415. Themessage generator 415 may be configured to generate a message to send tothe femto node 210 a, the femto node 210 b, and/or the macro node 205reporting the PN collision as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

In one embodiment, the AT 220 may be communicating with the femto node210 a. The processor 405 may signal the message generator 415 togenerate a message if the pilot detector 420 determines that a PNcollision has occurred between the femto node 210 a and the femto node210 b. The message generator 415 may then generate a message. Themessage may be used to indicate to the femto node 210 a that the AT 220has detected a PN collision. The message may then be sent to theprocessor 405 and then forwarded to the transceiver 440. The message maythen be modulated by the communication controller 430 and thetransceiver 440 for wireless transmission via the antenna 450 to thefemto node 210 a as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

In another embodiment, the AT 220 may be communicating with the femtonode 210 a. The processor 405 may send a request for a unique identifierof the femto node 210 a to the femto node 210 a if the pilot detector420 determines that a PN collision has occurred between the femto node210 a and the femto node 210 b. The processor 405 may send the requestto the transceiver 440. The request may then be modulated by thecommunication controller 430 and the transceiver 440 for wirelesstransmission via the antenna 450 to the femto node 210 a. The processor440 may similarly receive a unique identifier from the femto node 210 ain response to the request via the antenna 450, the transceiver 440, andthe communication controller 430. The processor 405 may forward theunique identifier to the message generator 415. The processor 405 maysignal the message generator 415 to generate a message indicative of theunique identifier of the femto node 210 a and the PN collision. Themessage may then be sent to the processor 405. Optionally, the processor405 may store the message in memory 410. The processor 405 may retrievethe message in memory 410 when the AT 220 is in communication with themacro node 205. The processor 405 may forward the message to thetransceiver 440. The message may then be modulated by the communicationcontroller 430 and the transceiver 440 for wireless transmission via theantenna 450 to the macro node 205 as discussed above with respect toFIG. 2.

The antenna 450 may be configured to send and/or receive information toand/or from the macro node 205 and/or the femto node 210 over one ormore frequency channels. The information may comprise voice and/ordata-only information (referred to herein as “information”). The antennamay comprise one or more physical and/or virtual antennas.

The communication controller 430 and the transceiver 440 may beconfigured to demodulate the information received via the antenna 450according to one or more radio standards using methods known in the art.Further, the communication controller 430 and the transceiver 440 maymodulate information to be sent from the AT 220 via the antenna 450according to one or more radio standards using methods known in the art.Information to be sent may be received from the processor 405.

The processor 405 may read and write portions of the information and/orpackets (e.g., voice information, data information, messages, etc.)destined for the femto node 210, macro node 205, and/or other ATs to andfrom the memory 410.

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the access terminal 220 need not beseparate structural elements. For example, the processor 405 and thememory 410 may be embodied in a single chip. The processor 405 mayadditionally, or in the alternative, contain memory, such as processorregisters. Similarly, two or more of the processor 405, the messagegenerator 415, the pilot detector 420, the communication controller 430,and the transceiver 440 may be embodied in a single chip. Further, thetransceiver 440 may comprise a transmitter, receiver, or both. In otherembodiments, the transmitter and receiver are two separate components.

The memory 410 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 410 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, and Zip drives.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the access terminal 220may be embodied as a general purpose processor, a digital signalprocessor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), afield programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anysuitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or morecombinations of the functional blocks described with respect to theaccess terminal 220 may also be implemented as a combination ofcomputing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, aplurality of microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunctionwith a DSP communication, or any other such configuration.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary packet data gateway(PDG) 252 shown in FIG. 2. As described above with respect to FIG. 2,the PDG 252 may operate as a router configured to route messages betweenthe macro node 205 and the Internet 240. The PDG 252 may comprise anetwork interface 510 configured to receive an inbound message from andto transmit an outbound message to the macro node 205 or the Internet240. The network interface 510 may be coupled to a processor 520. Theprocessor 520 may be configured to process the inbound message receivedby and the outbound message transmitted by the network interface 510.The processor 520 may further be coupled, via one or more buses, to amemory 525. The processor 520 may read information from or writeinformation to the memory 525. The memory 525 may be configured to storethe inbound and outbound message before, during, or after processing.

The network interface 510 may comprise a modem. The modem may beconfigured to modulate/demodulate the outbound/inbound messages. Thenetwork interface 510 may demodulate the data received according. Thedemodulated data may be transmitted to the processor 520. The networkinterface 510 may modulate data to be sent from the PDG 252. Data to besent may be received from the processor 520.

The memory 525 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 525 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, and Zip drives

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the PDG 252 need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the processor 520 and the memory 525may be embodied in a single chip. The processor 520 may additionally, orin the alternative, contain memory, such as processor registers.Similarly, one or more of the functional blocks or portions of thefunctionality of various blocks may be embodied in a single chip.Alternatively, the functionality of a particular block may beimplemented on two or more chips.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the PDG 252, such asprocessor 520 and network interface 510 may be embodied as a generalpurpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an applicationspecific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array(FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistorlogic, discrete hardware components, or any suitable combination thereofdesigned to perform the functions described herein. One or more of thefunctional blocks and/or one or more combinations of the functionalblocks described with respect to the PDG 252 may also be implemented asa combination of computing devices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and amicroprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one or moremicroprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or any othersuch configuration.

FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary configurationserver shown in FIG. 2. As described above with respect to FIG. 2, theCS 254 may be configured to select a new identifier (e.g., PN offset)for femto nodes such as the femto node 210. The CS 254 may comprise anetwork interface 610 configured to receive an inbound message from andto transmit an outbound message to the femto node 210 via the Internet240. The network interface 610 may be coupled to a processor 620. Theprocessor 620 may be configured to process the inbound and outboundmessages. The processor 620 may further be coupled, via one or morebuses, to a memory 625. The processor 620 may read information from orwrite information to the memory 625. The memory 625 may be configured tostore the inbound and outbound messages before, during, or afterprocessing.

The processor 620 may be further coupled to an identifier selector unit630. The processor 620 may pass the inbound message to the identifierselector unit 630 for additional processing. The identifier selectorunit 630 may analyze the inbound message in order to select a new PNoffset for a node (e.g., femto node 210). For example, the message maycomprise a unique identifier of the femto node 210. The identifierselector unit 630 may be directly coupled to the memory 625 tofacilitate making identifier selector decisions. For example, the memory625 may store a data structure, e.g., a list or table, containinginformation associating addresses with other identifiers for femto nodese.g., PN offsets. For example, the identifier selector unit 630 may beconfigured to look up the PN offset for a femto node in the memory 625using the address. The identifier selector unit 630 may be configured toselect a new PN offset for use by femto node 210 that is different thanthe PN offset of other femto nodes listed in the data structure. Theidentifier selector unit 630 may provide the new PN offset to theprocessor 620. The processor 620 may be configured to use thisinformation from the identifier selector unit 630 to generate theoutbound message for the femto node 210. The processor 620 may pass theoutbound message to the network interface 610 for transmission to theInternet 240.

The network interface 610 may comprise a modem. The modem may beconfigured to modulate/demodulate the outbound/inbound messages going toor coming from the CS 254. The network interface 610 may demodulate thedata received. The demodulated data may be transmitted to the processor620. The network interface 610 may modulate data to be sent from the CS254. Data to be sent may be received from the processor 620.

The memory 625 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 625 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, and Zip drives

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the CS 254 need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the processor 620 and the memory 625may be embodied in a single chip. The processor 620 may additionally, orin the alternative, contain memory, such as processor registers.Similarly, one or more of the functional blocks or portions of thefunctionality of various blocks may be embodied in a single chip.Alternatively, the functionality of a particular block may beimplemented on two or more chips.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the CS 254, such asprocessor 620 and identifier selector unit 630 may be embodied as ageneral purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), anapplication specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmablegate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate ortransistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any suitablecombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the CS 254 may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or anyother such configuration.

FIG. 7 is a functional block diagram of an exemplary macro node 205shown in FIG. 2. As discussed above with respect to FIG. 2, the macronode 205 may provide the AT 220 communication access to thecommunication network 250. The AT 220 may transmit information to anantenna 750 of the macro node 205. The antenna 750 may be configured toreceive the information transmitted from the AT 220. The antenna 750 mayfurther be coupled to a transceiver 740. The transceiver 740 may beconfigured to demodulate the information received from the AT 220. Thetransceiver 740 may further be coupled to a communication controller 730configured to control the demodulation of information by the transceiver740. Both the transceiver 740 and the communication controller 730 mayfurther be coupled to a processor 705. The processor 705 may furtherprocess the demodulated information for storage, transmission, and/orfor the control of other components of the macro node 205. The processor705 may further be coupled, via one or more buses, to read informationfrom or write information (e.g., the processed information) to a memory710. The processor 705 may also be coupled to a network interfacecontroller 755 configured to communicate with the communication network250. Accordingly, processed information may be sent from processor 705to the PDG 252 of the communication network 250 and/or another node viathe network interface controller 755.

The antenna 750 may be configured to send and/or receive information toand/or from the AT 220 over one or more frequency channels. Theinformation may comprise voice and/or data-only information (referred toherein as “information”). The antenna may comprise one or more physicaland/or virtual antennas.

The communication controller 730 and the transceiver 740 may beconfigured to demodulate the information received via the antenna 750according to one or more radio standards using methods known in the art.Further, the communication controller 730 and the transceiver 740 maymodulate information to be sent from the macro node 205 via the antenna750 according to one or more radio standards using methods known in theart. Information to be sent may be received from the processor 705.

The processor 705 may read and write portions of the information and/orpackets (e.g., voice information, data information, messages, etc.)destined for the AT 220, other ATs, and/or the CS 254 to and from thememory 710.

The macro node 205 may connect to a communication network 250 via thenetwork interface controller 755. Accordingly, macro node 205 maycommunicate with other nodes and/or the PDG 252 coupled to thecommunication network 250 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.

Although described separately, it is to be appreciated that functionalblocks described with respect to the macro node 700 need not be separatestructural elements. For example, the processor 705 and memory 710 maybe embodied in a single chip. Similarly, two or more of the processor705, communication controller 730, and transceiver 740 may be embodiedin a single chip. Further, the transceiver 740 may comprise atransmitter, receiver, or both. In other embodiments, the transmitterand receiver are two separate components.

The memory 710 may comprise processor cache, including a multi-levelhierarchical cache in which different levels have different capacitiesand access speeds. The memory 710 may also comprise random access memory(RAM), other volatile storage devices, or non-volatile storage devices.The storage may include hard drives, optical discs, such as compactdiscs (CDs) or digital video discs (DVDs), flash memory, floppy discs,magnetic tape, and Zip drives.

One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or more combinations ofthe functional blocks described with respect to the macro node 205 maybe embodied as a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anysuitable combination thereof designed to perform the functions describedherein. One or more of the functional blocks and/or one or morecombinations of the functional blocks described with respect to themacro node 205 may also be implemented as a combination of computingdevices, e.g., a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, a pluralityof microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with aDSP communication, or any other such configuration.

FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process of detecting a PNcollision between femto nodes similar to the femto node shown in FIG. 2.The process 800 is one embodiment of a process used to resolve a PNcollision between the femto nodes 210 a and 210 b as discussed abovewith respect to FIG. 2.

At a first step 802, the femto node 210 a transmits a first pilot signal(e.g., a first HDP). The first pilot signal comprises informationindicative of a first identifier (e.g., PN offset) of the femto node 210a. Continuing at a step 804, the femto node 210 b receives the firstpilot signal. Further, at step 806, the femto node 210 b determines ifthe first identifier of the femto node 210 a is the same as a secondidentifier (e.g., PN offset) of the femto node 210 b. If the femto node210 b determines the first identifier of the femto node 210 a is not thesame as the second identifier of the femto node 210 b, the process 800ends. If the femto node 210 b determines the first identifier of thefemto node 210 a is the same as the second identifier of the femto node210 b, the process 800 continues to a step 808. At the step 808, thefemto node 210 b determines if a new identifier (e.g., PN offset) isobtained from a server (e.g., the CS 254). If the femto node 210 bdetermines the new identifier is not obtained from the server, theprocess continues to a step 810. At the step 810, the femto node 210 bselects a new identifier. The process 800 then continues to a step 820.If the femto node 210 b determines the new identifier is obtained fromthe server, the process continues to a step 812. At the step 812, thefemto node 210 b transmits a request message requesting a new identifierto the server. The request may comprise a unique identifier of the femtonode 210 b. Further, at a step 816, the server selects a new identifierfor the femto node 210 b. Next, at a step 818, the server transmits amessage indicative of the new identifier to the femto node 210 b. Theprocess then continues to the step 820. At the step 820, the femto node210 b replaces its current second identifier with the new identifier.Accordingly, the PN collision is detected and resolved by the steps ofprocess 800.

It should be noted that in one embodiment of the process 800, steps 808,812, 816, and 818 are omitted. In another embodiment, steps 808 and 810are omitted.

FIG. 9 is a flowchart of another exemplary process of detecting a PNcollision between femto nodes similar to the femto node shown in FIG. 2.The process 900 is one embodiment of a process used to resolve a PNcollision between the femto nodes 210 a and 210 b as discussed abovewith respect to FIG. 2.

At a first step 902, the femto node 210 a transmits a first pilot signal(e.g., a first HDP) to the AT 220 at a first time slot. The first pilotsignal comprises an identifier (e.g., the PN offset) of the femto node210 a. At a next step 904, the AT 220 receives the first pilot signalduring the first time slot.

Continuing, at a step 906, the AT 220 decides if the identifier of thefemto node 210 a is the same as an identifier of another femto node(e.g., femto node 210 b). If the AT 220 decides that the identifier ofthe femto node 210 a is not the same as the identifier of the femto node210 b, the process 900 ends. However, if is the AT 220 determines thatthe identifier of the femto node 210 a is the same as the identifier ofthe femto node 210 b, the process 900 continues to a step 908.

At the step 908, the AT 220 determines if the first time slot isdifferent than at least one time slot assigned to the femto node 210 b.If the AT 220 determines the first time slot is not different than atleast one time slot assigned to the femto node 210 b, the process 900ends. However, if the AT 220 determines the first time slot is differentthan at least one time slot assigned to the femto node 210 b, a PNcollision is detected and the process continues to a step 912.

At the step 912, the AT 220 determines if the PN collision is reportedto the femto node 210 b. If the AT 220 determines the PN collision isnot reported to the femto node 210 b, the process 900 continues to astep 914. At the step 914, the AT 220 transmits a message indicative ofa PN collision to an access node (e.g., macro node 205). The message maycomprise a unique identifier of the femto node 210 b. Continuing at astep 916, the access node transmits the message to a server (e.g., theCS 254). The process 900 then continues to a step 926.

If at the step 912 the AT 220 determines the PN collision is reported tothe femto node 210 b, the process 900 continues to a step 918. At thestep 918, the AT 220 transmits a message indicative of a PN collision tothe femto node 210 b. Continuing at a step 920, the femto node 210 bdetermines if a new identifier (e.g., PN offset) is obtained from theserver. If the femto node 210 b determines the new identifier is notobtained from the server, the process 900 continues to a step 924. Atthe step 924, the femto node 210 b selects a new identifier. The process900 then continues to a step 930. If the femto node 210 b determines thenew identifier is obtained from the server, the process 900 continues toa step 922. At the step 922, the femto node 210 b transmits a requestmessage requesting a new identifier to the server. The request maycomprise the unique identifier of the femto node 210 b. The process 900then continues to a step 926.

At the step 926, the server selects a new identifier for the femto node210 b. Next, at a step 928, the server transmits a message indicative ofthe new identifier to the femto node 210 b. The process then continuesto the step 930. At the step 930, the femto node 210 b replaces itscurrent second identifier with the new identifier. Accordingly, the PNcollision is detected and resolved by the steps of process 900.

It should be noted that in other embodiments of the process 900, varioussteps may be added or omitted.

FIG. 10 illustrates exemplary coverage areas for wireless communicationnetworks as shown, e.g., in FIGS. 1 and 2. The coverage area 1000 maycomprise one or more geographical areas in which the AT 220 may accessthe communication network 250 as discussed above with respect to FIG. 2.As shown the coverage area 1000 comprises several tracking areas 1002(or routing areas or location areas). Each tracking area 1002 comprisesseveral macro areas 1004, which may be similar to the macro area 207described above with respect to FIG. 2. Here, areas of coverageassociated with tracking areas 1002A, 1002B, and 1002C are shown asdelineated by wide lines as and the macro areas 1004 are represented byhexagons. The tracking areas 1002 may also comprise femto areas 1006,which may be similar to the femto area 230 described above with respectto FIG. 2. In this example, each of the femto areas 1006 (e.g., femtoarea 1006C) is depicted within a macro area 1004 (e.g., macro area1004B). It should be appreciated, however, that a femto area 1006 maynot lie entirely within a macro area 1004. In practice, a large numberof femto areas 1006 may be defined with a given tracking area 1002 ormacro area 1004. Also, one or more pico areas (not shown) may be definedwithin a given tracking area 1002 or macro area 1004.

Referring again to FIG. 2, the owner of the femto node 210 a maysubscribe to a mobile service, such as, for example, 3G mobile service,offered through the communication network 250 (e.g., a mobile operatorcore network). In addition, an access terminal 221 may be capable ofoperating both in macro environments (e.g., macro areas) and in smallerscale (e.g., residential, femto areas, pico areas, etc.) networkenvironments. In other words, depending on the current location of theaccess terminal 221, the access terminal 221 may access thecommunication network 250 by a macro node 205 or by any one of a set offemto nodes (e.g., femto nodes 210 a, 210 b). For example, when asubscriber is outside his home, he may be served by a macro node (e.g.,node 205) and when the subscriber is at home, he may be served by afemto node (e.g., node 210 a). It should further be appreciated that thefemto nodes 210 may be backward compatible with existing accessterminals 221.

The femto node 210 a may communicate over a single frequency or, in thealternative, over multiple frequencies. Depending on the particularconfiguration, the single frequency or one or more of the multiplefrequencies may overlap with one or more frequencies used by a macronode (e.g., node 250).

In one embodiment, an access terminal 221 may be configured to connectto a particular (e.g., preferred) femto node (e.g., a home femto node ofthe access terminal 221) whenever the access terminal 221 is withincommunication range of the femto node. For example, the access terminal221 may communicate with only the femto node 210 a when the accessterminal 221 is within the femto area 230 a.

In another embodiment, the access terminal 221 is communicating with anode of the communication network 250 but is not communicating with apreferred node (e.g., as defined in a preferred roaming list). In thisembodiment, the access terminal 221 may continue to search for apreferred node (e.g., the preferred femto node 210 a) using a BetterSystem Reselection (“BSR”). The BSR may comprise a method comprising aperiodic scanning of available systems to determine whether bettersystems are currently available. The BSR may further comprise attemptingto associate with available preferred systems. The access terminal 221may limit the BSR to scanning over one or more specific bands and/orchannels. Upon discovery of a preferred femto node 210 a, the accessterminal 221 selects the femto node 210 a for communicating with toaccess the communication network 250 within the femto area 230.

In one embodiment, a node may only provide certain services to certainaccess terminals. Such a node may be referred to as a “restricted” or“closed” node. In wireless communication networks comprising restrictedfemto nodes, a given access terminal may only be served by macro nodesand a defined set of femto nodes (e.g., the femto node 210 a). In otherembodiments, a node may be restricted to not provide at least one of:signaling, data access, registration, paging, or service.

In one embodiment, a restricted femto node (which may also be referredto as a Closed Subscriber Group Home NodeB) is one that provides serviceto a restricted provisioned set of access terminals. This set may betemporarily or permanently changed to include additional or fewer accessterminals as necessary. In some aspects, a Closed Subscriber Group(“CSG”) may be defined as the set of access nodes (e.g., femto nodes)that share a common access control list of access terminals (e.g., alist of the restricted provisioned set of access terminals). A channelon which all femto nodes (or all restricted femto nodes) in a regionoperate may be referred to as a femto channel.

Various relationships may thus exist between a given femto node and agiven access terminal. For example, from the perspective of an accessterminal, an open femto node may refer to a femto node with norestricted association. A restricted femto node may refer to a femtonode that is restricted in some manner (e.g., restricted for associationand/or registration). A home femto node may refer to a femto node onwhich the access terminal is authorized to access and operate on. Aguest femto node may refer to a femto node on which an access terminalis temporarily authorized to access or operate on. An alien femto nodemay refer to a femto node on which the access terminal is not authorizedto access or operate on, except for perhaps emergency situations (e.g.,911 calls).

From a restricted femto node perspective, a home access terminal mayrefer to an access terminal that is authorized to access the restrictedfemto node. A guest access terminal may refer to an access terminal withtemporary access to the restricted femto node. An alien access terminalmay refer to an access terminal that does not have permission to accessthe restricted femto node, except for perhaps emergency situations, suchas 911 calls.

For convenience, the disclosure herein describes various functionalitiesrelated to a femto node. It should be appreciated, however, that a piconode may provide the same or similar functionality for a larger coveragearea. For example, a pico node may be restricted, a home pico node maybe defined for a given access terminal, and so on.

A wireless multiple-access communication system may simultaneouslysupport communication for multiple wireless access terminals. Asmentioned above, each access terminal may communicate with one or morenodes via transmissions on the forward and reverse links. The forwardlink (or downlink) refers to the communication link from the node to theaccess terminal, and the reverse link (or uplink) refers to thecommunication link from the access terminal to the node. Thiscommunication link may be established via a single-in-single-out system,a multiple-in-multiple-out (“MIMO”) system, or some other type ofsystem.

A MIMO system employs multiple (NT) transmit antennas and multiple (NR)receive antennas for data transmission. A MIMO channel formed by the NTtransmit and NR receive antennas may be comprise NS independentchannels, which are also referred to as spatial channels, whereNS≦min{NT, NR}. Each of the NS independent channels corresponds to adimension. The MIMO system may provide improved performance (e.g.,higher throughput and/or greater reliability) if the additionaldimensionalities created by the multiple transmit and receive antennasare utilized.

A MIMO system may support time division duplex (“TDD”) and frequencydivision duplex (“FDD”). In a TDD system, the forward and reverse linktransmissions are on the same frequency region so that the reciprocityprinciple allows the estimation of the forward link channel from thereverse link channel. This enables a device (e.g., a node, an accessterminal, etc.) to extract a transmit beam-forming gain on the forwardlink when multiple antennas are available at the device.

The teachings herein may be incorporated into a device (e.g., a node, anaccess terminal, etc.) employing various components for communicatingwith at least one other device.

FIG. 11 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary node andanother exemplary access terminal shown in FIG. 2. As shown a MIMOsystem 1100 comprises a wireless device 1110 (e.g., the femto node 210a, 210 b, the macro node 205, etc.) and a wireless device 1150 (e.g.,the AT 220). At the device 1110, traffic data for a number of datastreams is provided from a data source 1112 to a transmit (“TX”) dataprocessor 1114.

In one embodiment, each data stream is transmitted over a respectivetransmit antenna. The TX data processor 1114 formats, codes, andinterleaves the traffic data for each data stream based on a particularcoding scheme selected for that data stream to provide coded data.

The coded data for each data stream may be multiplexed with pilot datausing OFDM techniques. The pilot data is typically a known data patternthat is processed in a known manner and may be used at the receiversystem to estimate the channel response. The multiplexed pilot and codeddata for each data stream is then modulated (i.e., symbol mapped) basedon a particular modulation scheme (e.g., BPSK, QSPK, M-PSK, or M-QAM)selected for that data stream to provide modulation symbols. The datarate, coding, and modulation for each data stream may be determined byinstructions performed by a processor 1130. A data memory 1132 may storeprogram code, data, and other information used by the processor 1130 orother components of the device 1110.

The modulation symbols for all data streams are then provided to a TXMIMO processor 1120, which may further process the modulation symbols(e.g., for OFDM). The TX MIMO processor 1120 then provides NT modulationsymbol streams to NT transceivers (“XCVR”) 1122A through 1122T. In someaspects, the TX MIMO processor 1120 applies beam-forming weights to thesymbols of the data streams and to the antenna from which the symbol isbeing transmitted.

Each transceiver 1122 receives and processes a respective symbol streamto provide one or more analog signals, and further conditions (e.g.,amplifies, filters, and upconverts) the analog signals to provide amodulated signal suitable for transmission over the MIMO channel. NTmodulated signals from transceivers 1122A through 1122T are thentransmitted from NT antennas 1124A through 1124T, respectively.

At the device 1150, the transmitted modulated signals are received by NRantennas 1152A through 1152R and the received signal from each antenna1152 is provided to a respective transceiver (“XCVR”) 1154A through1154R. Each transceiver 1154 conditions (e.g., filters, amplifies, anddownconverts) a respective received signal, digitizes the conditionedsignal to provide samples, and further processes the samples to providea corresponding “received” symbol stream.

A receive (“RX”) data processor 1160 then receives and processes the NRreceived symbol streams from NR transceivers 1154 based on a particularreceiver processing technique to provide NT “detected” symbol streams.The RX data processor 1160 then demodulates, deinterleaves, and decodeseach detected symbol stream to recover the traffic data for the datastream. The processing performed by the RX data processor 1160 iscomplementary to that performed by the TX MIMO processor 1120 and the TXdata processor 1114 at the device 1110.

A processor 1170 periodically determines which pre-coding matrix to use(discussed below). The processor 1170 formulates a reverse link messagecomprising a matrix index portion and a rank value portion. A datamemory 1172 may store program code, data, and other information used bythe processor 1170 or other components of the device 1150.

The reverse link message may comprise various types of informationregarding the communication link and/or the received data stream. Thereverse link message is then processed by a TX data processor 1138. TheTX data processor 1138 also receives traffic data for a number of datastreams from a data source 1136. The modulator 1180 modulates the datastreams. Further, the transceivers 1154A through 1154R condition thedata streams and transmits the data streams back to the device 1110.

At the device 1110, the modulated signals from the device 1150 arereceived by the antennas 1124. Further, the transceivers 1122 conditionthe modulated signals. A demodulator (“DEMOD”) 1140 demodulates themodulated signals. A RX data processor 1142 processes the demodulatedsignals and extracts the reverse link message transmitted by the device1150. The processor 1130 then determines which pre-coding matrix to usefor determining the beam-forming weights. Further, the processor 1130processes the extracted message.

Further, the device 1110 and/or the device 1150 may comprise one or morecomponents that perform interference control operations as taughtherein. For example, an interference (“INTER”) control component 1190may cooperate with the processor 1130 and/or other components of thedevice 1110 to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g., device1150) as taught herein. Similarly, an interference control component1192 may cooperate with the processor 1170 and/or other components ofthe device 1150 to send/receive signals to/from another device (e.g.,device 1110). It should be appreciated that for each device 1110 and1150 the functionality of two or more of the described components may beprovided by a single component. For example, a single processingcomponent may provide the functionality of the interference controlcomponent 1190 and the processor 1130. Further, a single processingcomponent may provide the functionality of the interference controlcomponent 1192 and the processor 1170.

The functionality described herein (e.g., with regard to one or more ofthe accompanying figures) may correspond in some aspects to similarlydesignated “means for” functionality in the appended claims. Referringto FIGS. 12-14, the femto node 210, the AT 220, and the CS 254 arerepresented as a series of interrelated functional modules.

FIG. 12 is a functional block diagram of yet another exemplary femtonode shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the femto node 210 may comprise aprocessing module 1205, a storing module 1210, a generating module 1220,a determining module 1225, a selecting module 1227, a receiving module1230, a transmitting module 1231, and a networking module 1255. Theprocessing module 1205 may correspond at least in some aspects to, forexample, a processor as discussed herein. The storing module 1210 maycorrespond at least in some aspects to, for example, a memory asdiscussed herein. The generating module 1220 may correspond at least insome aspects to, for example, a pilot generator as discussed herein. Thedetermining module 1225 may correspond at least in some aspects to, forexample, a collision detector as discussed herein. The selecting module1227 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, anidentifier selector as discussed herein. The receiving module 1230 maycorrespond at least in some aspects to, for example, a transceiver asdiscussed herein. The transmitting module 1231 may correspond at leastin some aspects to, for example, a transceiver as discussed herein. Thenetworking module 1255 may correspond at least in some aspects to, forexample, a network interface controller as discussed herein.

FIG. 13 is a functional block diagram of yet another exemplary accessterminal shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the AT 220 may comprise a processingmodule 1305, a storing module 1310, a generating module 1315, adetermining module 1320, a receiving module 1340, and a transmittingmodule 1341. The processing module 1305 may correspond at least in someaspects to, for example, a processor as discussed herein. The storingmodule 1310 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, amemory as discussed herein. The generating module 1315 may correspond atleast in some aspects to, for example, a message generator as discussedherein. The detecting module 1320 may correspond at least in someaspects to, for example, a pilot detector as discussed herein. Thereceiving module 1340 may correspond at least in some aspects to, forexample, a transceiver as discussed herein. The transmitting module 1341may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, a transceiveras discussed herein.

FIG. 14 is a functional block diagram of another exemplary configurationserver shown in FIG. 2. As shown, the CS 254 may comprise an interfacingmodule 1410, a processing module 1420, a storing module 1425, and aselecting module 1430. The interfacing module 1410 may correspond atleast in some aspects to, for example, a network interface as discussedherein. The processing module 1420 may correspond at least in someaspects to, for example, a processor as discussed herein. The storingmodule 1425 may correspond at least in some aspects to, for example, amemory as discussed herein. The selecting module 1430 may correspond atleast in some aspects to, for example, an identifier selector unit asdiscussed herein.

The functionality of the modules of FIGS. 12-14 may be implemented invarious ways consistent with the teachings herein. In some aspects thefunctionality of these modules may be implemented as one or moreelectrical components. In some aspects the functionality of these blocksmay be implemented as a processing system including one or moreprocessor components. In some aspects the functionality of these modulesmay be implemented using, for example, at least a portion of one or moreintegrated circuits (e.g., an ASIC). As discussed herein, an integratedcircuit may include a processor, software, other related components, orsome combination thereof. The functionality of these modules also may beimplemented in some other manner as taught herein.

It should be understood that any reference to an element herein using adesignation such as “first,” “second,” and so forth does not generallylimit the quantity or order of those elements. Rather, thesedesignations may be used herein as a convenient method of distinguishingbetween two or more elements or instances of an element. Thus, areference to first and second elements does not mean that only twoelements may be employed there or that the first element must precedethe second element in some manner. Also, unless stated otherwise a setof elements may comprise one or more elements. In addition, terminologyof the form “at least one of: A, B, or C” used in the description or theclaims means “A or B or C or any combination of these elements.”

While the specification describes particular examples of the presentinvention, those of ordinary skill can devise variations of the presentinvention without departing from the inventive concept. For example, theteachings herein refer to networks with femto cells and macro cells butare equally applicable to networks with other topologies.

Those skilled in the art will understand that information and signalsmay be represented using any of a variety of different technologies andtechniques. For example, data, instructions, commands, information,signals, bits, symbols, and chips that may be referenced throughout theabove description may be represented by voltages, currents,electromagnetic waves, magnetic fields or particles, optical fields orparticles, or any combination thereof.

Those skilled in the art will further appreciate that the variousillustrative logical blocks, modules, circuits, methods and algorithmsdescribed in connection with the examples disclosed herein may beimplemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or combinationsof both. To clearly illustrate this interchangeability of hardware andsoftware, various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits,methods and algorithms have been described above generally in terms oftheir functionality. Whether such functionality is implemented ashardware or software depends upon the particular application and designconstraints imposed on the overall system. Skilled artisans mayimplement the described functionality in varying ways for eachparticular application, but such implementation decisions should not beinterpreted as causing a departure from the scope of the presentinvention.

The various illustrative logical blocks, modules, and circuits describedin connection with the examples disclosed herein may be implemented orperformed with a general purpose processor, a digital signal processor(DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a fieldprogrammable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device,discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or anycombination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein.A general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, but in thealternative, the processor may be any conventional processor,controller, microcontroller, or state machine. A processor may also beimplemented as a combination of computing devices, e.g., a combinationof a DSP and a microprocessor, a plurality of microprocessors, one ormore microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP communication, or anyother such configuration.

The methods or algorithms described in connection with the examplesdisclosed herein may be embodied directly in hardware, in a softwaremodule executed by a processor, or in a combination of the two. Asoftware module may reside in RAM memory, flash memory, ROM memory,EPROM memory, EEPROM memory, registers, hard disk, a removable disk, aCD-ROM, or any other form of storage medium known in the art. A storagemedium may be coupled to the processor such that the processor may readinformation from, and write information to, the storage medium. In thealternative, the storage medium may be integral to the processor. Theprocessor and the storage medium may reside in an ASIC.

In one or more exemplary embodiments, the functions described may beimplemented in hardware, software, firmware, or any combination thereof.If implemented in software, the functions may be stored on ortransmitted over as one or more instructions or code on acomputer-readable medium. Computer-readable media includes both computerstorage media and communication media including any medium thatfacilitates transfer of a computer program from one place to another. Astorage media may be any available media that can be accessed by ageneral purpose or special purpose computer. By way of example, and notlimitation, such computer-readable media may comprise RAM, ROM, EEPROM,CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or othermagnetic storage devices, or any other medium that may be used to carryor store desired program code means in the form of instructions or datastructures and that can be accessed by a general-purpose orspecial-purpose computer, or a general-purpose or special-purposeprocessor. Also, any connection is properly termed a computer-readablemedium. For example, if the software is transmitted from a website,server, or other remote source using a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable,twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL), or wireless technologiessuch as infrared, radio, and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiberoptic cable, twisted pair, DSL, or wireless technologies such asinfrared, radio, and microwave are included in the definition of medium.Disk and disc, as used herein, includes compact disc (CD), laser disc,optical disc, digital versatile disc (DVD), floppy disk and blu-ray discwhere disks usually reproduce data magnetically, while discs reproducedata optically with lasers. Combinations of the above should also beincluded within the scope of computer-readable media.

The previous description of the disclosed examples is provided to enableany person skilled in the art to make or use the present invention.Various modifications to these examples will be readily apparent tothose skilled in the art, and the generic principles defined herein maybe applied to other examples without departing from the spirit or scopeof the invention. Thus, the present invention is not intended to belimited to the examples shown herein but is to be accorded the widestscope consistent with the principles and novel features disclosedherein.

What is claimed is:
 1. A wireless apparatus comprising: a transceiverconfigured to receive a first identifier during at least one time slot,the first identifier identifying a first remote communication node; aprocessing circuit configured to: determine, at the wireless apparatus,if the first identifier identifying the first remote communication nodeis received during a first time slot that is different from at least onepre-assigned time slot, and determine if the first identifieridentifying the first remote communication node is the same as a secondidentifier identifying a second remote communication node, the secondidentifier being received during the same first time slot; and a messagegenerator configured to generate a message for transmission to the firstremote communication node if the first identifier is the same as thesecond identifier and if the first time slot is different from the atleast one pre-assigned time slot, wherein the first remote communicationnode is configured to obtain in response to the message a new identifiernot previously assigned, and wherein the new identifier is differentthan the first identifier and the second identifier.
 2. The apparatus ofclaim 1, wherein the at least one pre-assigned time slot comprises asequence of time slots that is uniquely reserved for communication bythe first remote communication node.
 3. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the message comprises information indicative of a pseudo noise(PN) collision.
 4. A wireless apparatus comprising: a transceiverconfigured to receive a first identifier during at least one time slot,the first identifier identifying a first communication node; aprocessing circuit configured to: determine if the first identifier isreceived during a first time slot that is different from at least onepre-assigned time slot, and determine if the first identifieridentifying the first communication node is the same as a secondidentifier identifying a second communication node, the secondidentifier being received during the same first time slot; and a messagegenerator configured to generate a first message for transmission to athird communication node if the first identifier is the same as thesecond identifier and if the first time slot is different from the atleast one pre-assigned time slot, wherein the third communication nodeis further configured to transmit the first message to a server.
 5. Theapparatus of claim 4, wherein the first communication node obtains a newidentifier in response to a second message, and wherein the firstcommunication node receives the second message from the server.
 6. Theapparatus of claim 5, wherein the server obtains the new identifier. 7.The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first identifier comprises a firstpseudo noise offset applied to a pseudo noise short code.
 8. A method ofuniquely identifying a first remote communication node and a secondremote communication node in a wireless communication system, the methodcomprising: receiving a first identifier during at least one time slot,the first identifier identifying the first remote communication node;determining, at a wireless entity, if the first identifier identifyingthe first remote communication node is received during a first time slotthat is different from at least one pre-assigned time slot; determiningif the first identifier identifying the first remote communication nodeis the same as a second identifier identifying a second remotecommunication node, the second identifier being received during the samefirst time slot; and transmitting a message to the first remotecommunication node if the first identifier is the same as the secondidentifier and if the first time slot is different from the at least onepre-assigned time slot, wherein the first remote communication node isconfigured to obtain in response to the message a new identifier notpreviously assigned, and wherein the new identifier is different thanthe first identifier and the second identifier.
 9. The method of claim8, wherein the at least one pre-assigned time slot comprises a sequenceof time slots that is uniquely reserved for communication by the firstremote communication node.
 10. The method of claim 8, wherein themessage comprises information indicative of a pseudo noise (PN)collision.
 11. A method of uniquely identifying a first communicationnode and a second communication node in a wireless communication system,the method comprising: receiving a first identifier during at least onetime slot, the first identifier identifying the first communicationnode; determining if the first identifier is received during a firsttime slot that is different from at least one pre-assigned time slot;determining if the first identifier identifying the first communicationnode is the same as a second identifier identifying a secondcommunication node, the second identifier being received during the samefirst time slot; and transmitting a first message to a thirdcommunication node if the first identifier is the same as the secondidentifier and if the first time slot is different from the at least onepre-assigned time slot, wherein the third communication node is furtherconfigured to transmit the first message to a server.
 12. The method ofclaim 11, wherein the first communication node obtains a new identifierin response to a second message, and wherein the first communicationnode receives the second message from the server.
 13. The method ofclaim 12, wherein the server obtains the new identifier.
 14. The methodof claim 8, wherein the first identifier comprises a first pseudo noiseoffset applied to a pseudo noise short code.
 15. A wireless apparatuscomprising: means for receiving a first identifier during at least onetime slot, the first identifier identifying a first remote communicationnode; means for determining, at the wireless apparatus, if the firstidentifier identifying the first remote communication node is receivedduring a first time slot that is different from at least onepre-assigned time slot; means for determining if the first identifieridentifying the first remote communication node is the same as a secondidentifier identifying a second remote communication node, the secondidentifier being received during the same first time slot; and means fortransmitting a message to the first remote communication node if thefirst identifier is the same as the second identifier and if the firsttime slot is different from the at least one pre-assigned time slot,wherein the first remote communication node is configured to obtain inresponse to the message a new identifier not previously assigned, andwherein the new identifier is different than the first identifier andthe second identifier.
 16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the atleast one pre-assigned time slot comprises a sequence of time slots thatis uniquely reserved for communication by the first remote communicationnode.
 17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the message comprisesinformation indicative of a pseudo noise (PN) collision.
 18. A wirelessapparatus comprising: means for receiving a first identifier during atleast one time slot, the first identifier identifying a firstcommunication node; means for determining if the first identifier isreceived during a first time slot that is different from at least onepre-assigned time slot; means for determining if the first identifieridentifying the first communication node is the same as a secondidentifier identifying a second communication node, the secondidentifier being received during the same first time slot; and means fortransmitting a first message to a third communication node if the firstidentifier is the same as the second identifier and if the first timeslot is different from the at least one pre-assigned time slot, whereinthe third communication node is further configured to transmit the firstmessage to a server.
 19. The apparatus of claim 18, wherein the firstcommunication node obtains a new identifier in response to a secondmessage, and wherein the first communication node receives the secondmessage from the server.
 20. The apparatus of claim 19, wherein theserver obtains the new identifier.
 21. The apparatus of claim 15,wherein the first identifier comprises a first pseudo noise offsetapplied to a pseudo noise short code.
 22. A computer program product,comprising: non-transitory computer-readable medium comprising: code forcausing a computer to receive a first identifier during at least onetime slot, the first identifier identifying a first remote communicationnode; code for causing the computer to determine, at a wireless entity,if the first identifier identifying the first remote communication nodeis received during a first time slot that is different from at least onepre-assigned time slot; code for causing the computer to determine ifthe first identifier identifying the first remote communication node isthe same as a second identifier identifying a second remotecommunication node, the second identifier being received during the samefirst time slot; and code for causing a computer to transmit a messageto the first remote communication node if the first identifier is thesame as the second identifier and if the first time slot is differentfrom the at least one pre-assigned time slot, wherein the first remotecommunication node is configured to obtain in response to the message anew identifier not previously assigned, and wherein the new identifieris different than the first identifier and the second identifier. 23.The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the at least onepre-assigned time slot comprises a sequence of time slots that isuniquely reserved for communication by the first remote communicationnode.
 24. The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the messagecomprises information indicative of a pseudo noise (PN) collision.
 25. Acomputer program product, comprising: non-transitory computer-readablemedium comprising: code for causing a computer to receive a firstidentifier during at least one time slot, the first identifieridentifying a first communication node; code for causing the computer todetermine, at a wireless entity, if the first identifier identifying thefirst communication node is received during a first time slot that isdifferent from at least one pre-assigned time slot; code for causing thecomputer to determine if the first identifier identifying the firstcommunication node is the same as a second identifier identifying asecond communication node, the second identifier being received duringthe same first time slot; and code for causing the computer to transmita first message to a third communication node if the first identifier isthe same as the second identifier and if the first time slot isdifferent from the at least one pre-assigned time slot, wherein thethird communication node is further configured to transmit the firstmessage to a server.
 26. The computer program product of claim 25,wherein the first communication node obtains a new identifier inresponse to a second message, and wherein the first communication nodereceives the second message from the server.
 27. The computer programproduct of claim 26, wherein the server obtains the new identifier. 28.The computer program product of claim 22, wherein the first identifiercomprises a first pseudo noise offset applied to a pseudo noise shortcode.
 29. A computer program product, comprising: non-transitorycomputer-readable medium comprising: code for causing a computer toreceive a first identifier during at least one time slot, the firstidentifier identifying a first communication node; code for causing thecomputer to determine if the first identifier is received during a firsttime slot that is different from at least one pre-assigned time slot;code for causing the computer to determine if the first identifieridentifying the first communication node is the same as a secondidentifier identifying a second communication node, the secondidentifier being received during the same first time slot; and code forcausing the computer to transmit a first message to a thirdcommunication node if the first identifier is the same as the secondidentifier and if the first time slot is different from the at least onepre-assigned time slot, wherein the third communication node is furtherconfigured to transmit the first message to a server.
 30. The computerprogram product of claim 29, wherein the first communication nodeobtains a new identifier in response to a second message, and whereinthe first communication node receives the second message from theserver.
 31. The computer program product of claim 30, wherein the serverobtains the new identifier.